Troopers on target to complete Marlon Brown's death investigation

Wednesday

Jun 26, 2013 at 1:20 PMJun 26, 2013 at 10:49 PM

Florida Highway Patrol officials expect to finish their investigation by Friday into the death of a Spring Hill man who was run over by a DeLand police car. Troopers will then turn the matter over to the State Attorney's Office.

PATRICIO G. BALONASTAFF WRITER

Florida Highway Patrol officials said Wednesday they are still looking at Friday as the goal for completing the traffic homicide investigation involving the death of Marlon Brown, a Spring Hill resident run over and killed by a DeLand police officer. "That's what we are shooting for," said FHP Sgt. Kim Montes when asked if the investigation will be completed by Friday.But Montes said the details of what happened when DeLand police Officer James Harris, 25, ran over Brown will not immediately be made public. Brown was a popular Spring Hill barber who also had been arrested numerous times in the past two decades. "It's not a public record just because the investigator says it is complete. It is still a pending and ongoing investigation when the findings are passed to the State Attorney's Office for review." FHP investigators, once they complete their investigation, present their findings to the State Attorney's Office for review, and depending on the findings, it can then be determined whether a case is criminal and charges are warranted, Montes said."We will confer with the State Attorney's Office and discuss our findings and what charges, if any, will be filed," Montes said. "Once that happens, the case will move forward." Brown, 38, was knocked down, run over and killed by Harris's patrol car on May 8 around 12:37 a.m. near a vegetable patch behind 960 S. Delaware Ave. in the Spring Hill community in DeLand. Brown had initially sped away from a traffic stop attempted by a Volusia deputy who saw Brown without a seat belt. After the deputy discontinued his efforts to make the stop, he radioed other law enforcement officers in the area that Brown had fled. DeLand police Officer Justin Ferrari spotted Brown at Parsons and Beresford avenues and pursued him. Brown turned south on Delaware Avenue, a dead end. Brown jumped out of his still moving car in the empty lot and ran to get away from police. That was when Harris, who was fired May 31 by DeLand Police Chief Bill Ridgway, drove past Ferrari's stopped patrol car and ran over Brown, according to preliminary information released by authorities. Brown had more than two dozen arrests in 20 years and was released from jail in April after serving time for drug possession. Friends believe Brown likely did not have a valid driver's license the night of his death and cite his fear of returning to jail as the reason he ran. Brown's death sparked community leaders to call on authorities to investigate the incident. Leaders also stressed patience as the investigators do their job. The West Volusia Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also said it is conducting its own investigation while Volusia County Councilwoman Joyce Cusack called on a task force to be formed to improve the relationship between the Spring Hill community and DeLand police. "Because of the interest of many people in his case, including city officials and a civil rights group, we want to present a complete investigation rather than piece-meal the information," Montes said.